Amy Harmon MSN

AMY HARMON  
Grade Level: Grade 6
Years of Experience: 15 

Excerpt from Teacher of the Year application

To me, teaching is important because:

To me, teaching is important because I am able to make an impact on young people's lives daily. I firmly believe I am on the "front line" and given the privilege of teaching both academic and life skills through creative techniques that allow my students to truly understand concepts. I am able to set the tone for excitement, collaboration and positive growth to take place in my classroom, and I am also able to "coach through it" when students are challenged to take risks in their learning. I am responsible for paving the way for these students to be successful lifelong learners, and this is something that I look forward to every single day.

Education is an incredibly challenging, yet rewarding, profession that allows me to shape the minds of young adults. I have embraced this challenge over my fifteen years of teaching and have learned that ALL students can learn, but they do not all learn the same way. I have created a classroom focused on student-learning and positive growth which has allowed my students to become successful learners and risk takers and to support each other along the way. I have become passionate about differentiated learning styles, and I strive daily to create an environment in which every student is provided with an equal opportunity to learn and grow. I work hard to embrace the differences of my learners, find strengths within them, and allow them to be unique in my classroom.

Teaching is truly my passion. I am proud of my ability to advocate for my students to ensure they are successful at Middle School North. I truly care about them as my own children. There are times that I question myself, and I am always reminded that if the decision I made was "best for kids", then I gave everything I could give in that moment. This has kept me focused on the reason that I chose to become a teacher and continues to remind me of why my career is so incredibly important to me. I am honored to be recognized for something that I feel my students deserve on a daily basis, and I will continue to strive to get better because of my dedication to this profession, and most importantly, my "front line learners".